Jambs hamilton



OFF@Y JAMES HAMILTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROPELLER FOR BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,422, dated December 28, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HAMILTON, of the city and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Propellers for Boats and Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making part ot this specification, wherein Figure 1, is a vertical section of my propeller, showing also a portion of the vessels stern; and Fig. 2, is an inverted plan ot the said propeller.

Similar letters indicate the same parts.

The nature of my said invention consists in the use of buckets, hung in a trame that reciprocates in slides beneath the vessels bottom; which frame and slides are so arranged in connection with movable stops that a portion of the buckets are made to act in giving headway while another port-ion ot the buckets are thrown out of use, and these latter when brought into use give sternway to the vessel while the tirst are thrown out of use, thus providing a means for propelling that is specially adapted for canal or river navigation, although available for any other character of vessel, or boat.

In the drawing a, is the stern or other part of the vessel.

b, b, are suitable slides attached to the under side of the vessel receiving the propeller frame that is composed of the side pieces c, c, and the cross pieces (Z, cl. This propeller frame is actuated by an attachment to one of the cross pieces d. I have shown the rod c, connected to another rod f, by a bracket or link g, and this latter rod (f) passes through a stuffing box g, in the vessel, and may be a prolongation of a piston rod or be actuated by any competent prime mover.

Between the sides c, c, of the propeller frame I attach the buckets 7L, t, by centers or gudgeons at their upper corners and cause them to hang when vertical against the flanges or lugs z', z', on the side pieces c, c. It will now be apparent that if the vessel were only to be moved in one direction, the buckets h, 71 would be all that is required because in moving back against the water the vessel would be propelled forward as seen in Fig. l, and upon the return stroke the buckets would turn up and pass wise through the water.

edge

To accomplish the object ot giving the vessel stern way I therefore provide a second bucket or buckets it', similarly formed but set in the opposite direction to the buckets h, and to bring one set of buckets into action and retain the other I make use of. the wedge blocks 7c, la, on a slide bar Z, working through mortises in one side piece There are to be stop pieces m at each end of the stroke of the propeller frames, which being forced down from above, will impart endwise motion to the bar Z, and blocks 7s, and slide one set of blocks from beneath the buckets (7L or H) while the wedge blocks le,

pass under and hold up the buckets Ut or it), this being done at the time the propeller frame is moving in such a direction that the buckets to be thrown out of action are passing edgewise through the water.

It will be apparent that the device for giving motion to the propeller frame might be varied to suit the circumstances and the engine made use of; and the propeller Jtrame may move on friction rollers.

By my propeller a large body of solid water is acted on, the propulsion is direct, the parts are easily constructed and kept in repair, but very little space is occupied beneath the vessel, and there is very little commotion in the water, thus adapting this device particularly to canals and small or shallow rivers.

It will be evident that two propeller trames may be used acting in opposite directions so as to maintain a continuous motion.

I do not claim a reciprocating propeller traine between the vessel, neither do I claim buckets hinged at their upper edge, nor movable stops against which the buckets rest while in action, but,

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

rIhe arrangement of two sets of propeller buckets in a reciprocating iframe, so set that they act in opposite directions to give head or stern way respectively, when said buckets are combined with sliding stops fitted and acting as specified to retain one set of buck ets in a folded and inoperative position, while the other set is acting to move the vessel as set forth.

JAMES HAMILTON.

Viitnesses LEMUEL IV. SERRELL, THOMAS G. HAROLD. 

